Why James Cameron Is Nervous About Avatar 2

It wouldn’t be a polarizing statement to admit that Avatar is a polarizing film. Released back in 2009, the film was – and in many ways still is – a technical marvel that went on to become one of the highest grossing movies of all time. Despite the success, not everyone was impressed with James Cameron’s story of indigenous creatures of an exotic planet battling human colonists. With Avatar 2 now firmly in development, Cameron admits that the pressure is on.

In a new interview, James Cameron has spoken out regarding the incredibly daunting challenge of creating Avatar 2 and the need to make sure that it lives up to the success of the original:

Obviously, expectations are going to be very high on these films, especially on Avatar 2, to make sure it wasn’t just some big fluke the first time. So we’ve got to deliver. I’ve created a nice rod for my own back, so they say.

As previously stated, Avatar is a technical marvel. James Cameron did nothing short of amazing when he created the beautiful and vibrant world of Pandora, not to mention the exotic creatures that inhabit it. However, beyond the film’s aesthetic, the storytelling and characters in Avatar left all too much to be desired. From the lackluster central character in the form of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), to the atrociously written script (“Unobtainium” comes to mind), to the sheer fact that the film plays out like a sci-fi recreation of Pocahontas / Dances with Wolves / The Last Samurai, the film ultimately disappointed a lot of people. It begs the question of whether or not the Avatar sequels – because there will be at least four Avatar movies when all is said and done – can hold their weight once the charm of the visual effects has worn off.

All that being said, we live in a world where people’s opinions on this sort of matter can be heard due to the wide reach of the Internet. Per his interview with Entertainment Weekly, it seems that Cameron understands the reasons his original Avatar proved divisive, and we can safely assume he has set about to correct the course of the franchise. After all, this is the man who personally helmed the first two installments of the Terminator franchise, so we’re well aware of the fact that he knows his way around a good script and multi-layered characters.

Only time will tell if Avatar 2 lives up to the success of its predecessor, or if it flounders for the same reasons. We will keep you posted on any and all developments related to the project as they become available to us; Avatar 2 is expected to hit theaters on Christmas Day 2017.